In a stirring affirmation of courage, Sr Lucy Kalappurackal, an unyeilding voice in the protests against rape-accused Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, enrolled as a lawyer in the Kerala High Court on Saturday, January 10. She completed her law studies while temporarily staying in a hostel after being thrown out of the Congregation for learning to drive, publishing a poetry collection, and supporting the survivor nun in the Franco case.
“I was denied justice when I fought for a nun. I am sure many nuns feel happy about today, even if they express it differently. I studied law to strengthen myself in my legal battle. I hope I can be a voice and help, going forward, those people and nuns who are denied justice,” she told the media.
Lucy joined Sree Narayana Law College in Ernakulam’s Poothotta in November 2022. She was an active participant in the protests against Franco near the Kerala High Court in 2019 and has often spoken out against the patriarchy within the Catholic Church.
Currently 60, Lucy joined the convent at 17. She worked as a mathematics teacher and retired in 2021. In August 2019, she was expelled by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) after participating in a protest by nuns of the Missionaries of Jesus Congregation demanding Franco’s arrest.
The FCC cited her failure to explain her lifestyle, which they claimed violated church rules, as the reason for her expulsion. Specific charges included learning to drive, buying a car for travel, publishing a poetry collection, and supporting the rape-survivor nun. The Vatican had ratified the decision.
In July 2021, the High Court ordered Sr Lucy Kalappurackal to vacate the convent in Wayanad, as she was no longer a member of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC). For the first time, she argued her own case in court after her lawyer stepped down from a petition seeking police protection.
Lucy told the court that she had no other place to go and that staying at the convent was crucial for her nunship. However, the court later allowed her protection only if she moved elsewhere, and she temporarily stayed in a hostel while continuing her law studies.